The Return of David
by PsychoFreak
Summary: David is back and ready for his revenge. But who will he target first?


The Return of David

Quick summary: Crayak offers David a deal. This will give him a chance for his long awaited revenge against the Animorphs. He already knows who he will target first, but can the other Animorphs figure out the traitor's plans before it's too late?

_________________________________________________________ 

****

David

I will get you Animorphs! I cried. I knew no one except for the other rats could hear me, but I didn't care. All I ever thought about was revenge on the humans who had trapped me here as a rat and I would do ANYTHING to get it.

ANYTHING?

The voice came from all around me.

Who-who are you? I questioned, trying to sound brave. I saw a blood-red eye appear in front of me.

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! I screamed, scrambling backwards off the rock I now called home.

I AM CRAYAK. DO NOT BE AFRAID. I LIKE HUMANS LIKE YOU.

What do you want, Crayak? I asked, less afraid now.

I HATE THE ANIMORPHS AND I WANT THEM DEAD.

My heart leapt for joy. Finally, someone who shared my passionate hate of those filthy creatures who think they're so great.

HOWEVER, THE ELLIMIST AND I HAVE AN AGREEMENT. THEY MAY NOT DIE.

My joy dissolved. So much for my sweet revenge.

BUT I WILL MAKE YOU A DEAL. I WILL GIVE YOU YOUR HUMAN FORM BACK FOR ONE EARTH WEEK ALONG WITH MORPH CAPABILITY. YOU MAY TORTURE THE ANIMORPHS ALL YOU WANT. IF YOU DO GOOD, YOU MAY STAY HUMAN FOREVER.

The eye dissappeared.

"Hey, wait a min-" I touched a hand to my face. A hand! Not a paw! And I had spoken! With my mouth, not thought-speak!

"Beware, Animorphs. David is back."

****

Rachel

It was seventh period. Fifteen minutes of school left. But I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Very wrong.

I met up with Cassie by my locker after the bell rang.

"Hey Cass, what's up?" I greeted her.

"I have you seen Jake lately? I haven't seen him sense lunch," she looked really worried.

"Don't worry, Cassie, I'm sure he's fine," I tried my best to sound convincing, but I wasn't so sure myself.

I opened the door to my house. I was home alone today. Mom had taken off work to take Jordan and Sara to the zoo. Mother-daughter bonding or something like that. She wanted me to come, too, but I told her I would have too much homework.

I walked over to the answering machine. One new message. I pressed the play button,

"Hey Rach, it's me, Jake. Something's come up. Our science project has been changed from slugs to rats for a while. We're all going to Cassie's to work on it after school, why don't you meet us there? Keep your eyes open for anything that might help the project."

That was weird, I thought to myself. I understood that whatever this was, it wasn't about the Yeerks, and that I should go to Cassie's barn for a meeting. Also that there was danger that I needed to watch out for. I couldn't figure out what the rat meant though. There was something nagging at the back of my head, something important. I should know what he meant. Oh, well, I'll just go upstairs and change, I thought.

I walked up the stairs, thinking about the message. As I opened the door to my room, I immediately realized what he meant. But only after I saw a figure standing over me with a baseball bat. Something that scared me more than Hork-Bajir. More than Visser 3.

David.

I did something I rarely do. I screamed. Then I felt an intense pain in my head and everything went black.

****

Cassie

Ring. Ring. Ring.

I reached over and grabbed the phone off of a sick raccoon's cage.

"Hello?" I said.

"Cassie? It's me, Jake," I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jake! Where were you today?" I demanded.

"I saw David after lunch," he whispered. I gasped.

"Are you sure it was him?"

"Yeah, I tried to followed him, but I lost him when he morphed a fly. I think he knew that someone was following him."

"Where could he possibly have-" I shivered in horror as I realized something Jake apparently hadn't.

"Rachel."

****

David

Rachel screamed.

I brought the bat down on her head with a loud crack. She crumpled to the floor unconscious.

"Well, well, well," I grinned evilly. "The mighty warrior isn't so mighty after all."

I honestly hadn't thought Rachel would go down this easily. She hadn't even tried to morph or anything. I laughed with satisfaction as I reached for a backpack I had stolen along with some supplies. I pulled out the syringe I had found where Crayak had been. It was labeled Anti-Morphing Potion. It was cause the person it was injected into to not be able to morph for 24 hours. Unfortunately, it should also wake her up.

After tying up Rachel's hands and feet and then tying her tightly to her desk with three ropes I had "borrowed", I jammed the needle into her arm. I didn't care if that wasn't how you were supposed to do it, I wanted her to suffer. I hated Rachel. More than any of the other Animorphs. Even Jake, and I hated him bad. And if I couldn't kill her, I would certainly make her suffer.

When I removed it, she still hadn't waken up. I really must've hit her hard. Good, I thought to myself. The Animorphs all deserve what they have coming to them. They will pay for what they did to me. I glanced at my hostage and saw her eyes fluttering open.

"It's party time!" 

****

Jake

How could I have been so stupid! Of course David would target Rachel before the rest of us! She had threatened his parents for goodness sake! I wish I hadn't let her follow him out of the cafeteria that day. Maybe this wouldn't be happening.

I ran downstairs and told my mom I was going to Rachel's to work on my homework. I didn't give her time to ask why I didn't have any books with me.

I went outside and into the bushes. I concentrated on my peregrine falcon morph. I was so concerned about my cousin that I didn't bother looking around to see if anyone was watching. As I flew off into the sky, I just hoped that I wasn't already too late.

****

Rachel

I woke up to see David staring at me with a purely evil look on his face. I tried to look away, but my head was throbbing terribly. I wanted to scream again, but I wasn't going to let the little rat have the satisfaction.

"How did you get off the island?" I demanded. That's when I noticed I was tied up. The ropes around my stomach were making it kind of hard to breath.

"Crayak," he stated. That one word was almost enough to make my hair stand on end. "Too bad he said I couldn't kill any of you. But he told me I could torture you all I want." He leaned closer as he said the last part.

I called up the image of the grizzly bear whose DNA was buried deep within me. I focused all of the strength I had left on morphing. I wanted to murder this jerk. I didn't feel the changes so I opened my eyes. What I saw, or actually what I didn't see, made me gasp in shock. I was still human!

"You can't morph," David laughed. He held up an empty syringe. "The stuff that was in here prevents you from morphing for one day."

"You'll pay for this David," I threatened through clenched teeth. "Jake will find you and kill you. You're scum, David. You're a slimeball. You-"

I was cut short as he kicked my side. It hurt. David laughed harshly.

"You're not so great and mighty without your morphing powers, now are you?" he sneered.

"You're a coward," I stated simply. " You're too afraid to face any of us in morph because you know you'll lose. You know you wouldn't stand a chance."

"I doubt that is true, but we won't find out, will we, Rachel," David asked, picking up the baseball bat. "Because now I'm in charge and there's nothing you or your puny friends can do about it."

****

Tobias

Cassie had come and told me an Ax about David after she called Marco and now the three of us were on our way to Rachel's house.

When we got there, Jake was demorphing in the backyard. I saw Marco coming towards us and he, Cassie, and Ax demorphed, too.

"I saw David up in Rachel's room," Jake said grimly.

Is she alright? I asked worriedly.

"I don't know," he replied. "No one else is home, though. Rachel told me they were going to the zoo. Here's the plan, Marco, go gorilla. You and I will go in and confront him. Cassie, bird, you and Tobias back us up out here in case he comes out through the window. Ax, stay downstairs in case he gets away. Don't hesitate to kill him."

Everyone morphed according to what Jake said and went into their positions. As I watched him, Marco, and Ax break down the door and go inside, I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever see Rachel again.

****

Marco

When Cassie called me about David and Rachel, I could feel my insides turning. David was at least as dangerous as Visser 3. Except Visser 3 didn't know who we were. But Rachel could take care of herself, couldn't she?

Ax, wait at the bottom of these stairs, Jake in tiger morph, ordered.

Yes, Prince Jake.

I waited for Jake to give his age old response of, "Don't call me Prince", but he said nothing. Now I was really worried.

C'mon, Marco, he said, leaping up the stairs. I lumbered behind him, pulling myself up with the railing.

Whe we reached the top of the stairs, I heard a pained scream followed by a dull thump.

ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jake leapt and knocked down the door to Rachel's bedroom. What I saw made me want to hurl. I had never seen any of my friends like this except when we were chasing Visser 4 and Jake got killed. David had been standing over Rachel, beating her with a baseball bat. There was blood running down the side of her face and her once blond hair. I saw her glance at us with a look of gratitude.

Hang in there, Xena, I said in private thought-speak before she closed her eyes.

I saw Jake leap at David. But David had been expecting that. He threw himself out of the way, climbed onto the window, and pulled himself onto the roof.

He's on the roof! Jake yelled in open thought-speak. I saw two birds that must have been Cassie and Tobias dash past the window towards the roof. 

Marco, climb up there while I demorph. Do NOT let him get away!

Jake ordered. Cassie! Come down here when Marco gets there and take care of Rachel.

As Jake started demorphing to human, I backed out the window in the same fashion as David. When I reached the roof, I saw him being attacked by a red-tailed hawk while trying to morph lion. I walked towards him and prepared to attack.

"I thought you didn't kill humans," David sneered.

You're right, we usually don't. I replied. But you're not human. I raised the gorilla's fist and was about to punch him when Jake interrupted me.

"Wait, Marco," he said. "I want to be the one to take this traitor down," he said determinedly. "Tiger vs. lion. We battle to the death." I had never seen Jake like this before. I watched my best friend and the reject Animorph change into their animals.

Well, Jake, I guess now we'll find out which animal will win, a fully morphed David challenged.

You have caused us enough trouble, David, and we will not have mercy on you this time. You never deserved to live. And now, you will die.

****

Jake

And now, you will die, I said before I leaped. He predicted my move and dodged to the left. But I had predicted his move, too, and followed him. I hit him square in the side and we both rolled off the roof into the backyard.

How did you like that, David? There was no time for my gloating, however, because he leapt at me and landed on my back. We rolled back and forth across the grass, running into the house, trees, everything. David finally came out on top, though.

Well, o fearless Jake, it looks like the lion is the king after all, he lifted his head up and I could've sworn he tried to laugh. That was all I needed to get an advantage over him. I picked my tiger's head up and lunged for him. I felt my teeth sink into the soft flesh and fur of his neck. I felt the blood of the lion squirt out onto my face.

Aaarrrggghhh!!!!! David cried, and rolled off of me. I pounced onto his stomach and clawed his side relentlessly. He finally got up, but I knew he was dying.

We circled each other, both dripping with blood. Me with more of his blood then my own. I took a final leap at him and he collapsed underneath me.

Well, David, you were wrong. The tiger wins after all. More importantly, the Animorphs win. And you lose.

I-will-be-back! he gasped, and was still. We had won. And yet I didn't really feel triumphant. We had killed him. I had killed him

Just think what would have happened if you hadn't, I tried to convince myself as I demorphed. There would be no more Animorphs. And the Yeerks would've won.

"Great job, man," Marco solemnly congratulated me.

Yeah, good job, Jake, Tobias echoed. I'm gonna go check on Rachel and Cassie. He flew in the window and I saw him settle on her bed.

"Marco, you can go ahead in, I'm going to go tell Ax that it's over," I said.

"Meanwhile, you better be thinking up a good excuse why there's a dead li-," he glanced towards the spot where David had been, but there was nothing there.

DAVID HAS GONE. CRAYAK WAS NOT PLEASED WITH HIM, SO HE REMOVED HIM FROM YOUR UNIVERSE. ALL EVIDENCE AND MEMORIES OF HIM WERE ERASED EXCEPT FROM YOU SIX.

Marco and I both groaned. The Ellimist. Whenever he got involved, something was bound to go wrong.

"What do you want?" I asked.

I JUST CAME TO WARN YOU.

"Warn us about what?" Marco questioned testily.

I CAN'T SAY WHAT JUST NOW, BUT I WILL SAY THIS, IT MAY BE TOO DANGEROUS FOR YOU TO GO HOME, JAKE. 

Then he disappeared. 

"Well, now that that's over, I better go talk to Ax," I said. I was heading towards the door when a blinding light engulfed us.

****

Cassie

When I flew into my best friend's room and saw her, I felt sick to my stomach. There was blood running from about five wounds on her head and her hair was more red than blond. What was happening to us? No teenagers should live this kind of life.

I carefully untied the ropes he had tied her up with and threw them to the side. Rachel's wrists were bleeding from them, they were tied so tightly. 

"C'mon Rachel, hang in there," I whispered more to myself than to her, sense she was unconscious. I didn't know what to do, really. Everything I could've used to help her was at my barn.

David's gone, I heard a voice I recognized as Tobias'. I turned around and saw him perched on the end of Rachel's bed. Jake killed him.

I saw he was purposely avoiding looking towards us.

"He deserved it," I muttered, then I looked at Tobias. "She's going to be okay, Tobias." He finally looked at me. Then he started morphing human.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I want to be here as human when she wakes up," he answered. I started to turn back towards Rachel as a bright light swallowed us.

****

Tobias

We were all back at Cassie's barn. I was still in my human form. I looked around. Ax, Jake, Cassie, Marco, and-

"Rachel!" I cried. I ran towards her and embraced her. 

"Tobias," she whispered softly so that only I could hear. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered back.

"Oh, a touching moment between Xena and Bird-Boy," Marco laughed. Okay, maybe the others could hear us.

"Shut up, Marco!" Rachel yelled happily. Then her expression changed. "Where's David?" 

"I killed him," Jake said wearily. I saw Rachel breath a sigh of relief.

I NEVER SAID HE WAS DEAD, JUST GONE.

"Oh, brother," Marco mumbled. "Why are you here again?"

"Again?" Cassie asked. I wondered that, too.

"We'll explain later," was Jake's response. "What do you want now?"

I'VE BROUGHT YOU TO THE ONLY SAFE HOME OF ANY OF YOU ANIMORPHS.

"What do you mean?" Rachel demanded.

THE YEERKS KNOW WHO ONE OF YOU IS AND HAVE GUESSED A COUPLE OTHERS.

I shivered in fear and saw the others do the same.

"How do they know?" Jake questioned angrily.

WHEN YOU MORPHED IN THE BUSHES, JAKE, DO YOU KNOW WHERE TOM WAS?

I saw a look of bewilderment followed by one of horror cross his face.

"He-he was in his room, wasn't he?" Jake managed.

YES, AND HE SAW YOU. YOU MUST ALL FIND A NEW PLACE TO LIVE AND BATTLE THE YEERKS.

He disappeared, leaving us all very confused.

Then we heard the voices.

"C'mon, this is where another one is suspected to live. Move it!"

Visser3 in human morph.

We heard other human controllers run towards Cassie's house.

Could this be the end?

To be continued(?)

Author's note: Hi, everyone! This is my first fan fic to put on the internet and I would really appreciate any comments or questions you have. I know the story was really lame, but hey, it was my first try. I promise they'll get better. If you guys like the story, I'll probably continue it, but if no one does, I won't, so let me know, okay?


End file.
